Just Luck??? - Montana Owners Club

stiles watson · 06-07-2005, 04:53 PM

Some people talk about luck. My tendency is to speak of providential care. A poet long ago wrote, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me." I don't know how close we were to that valley, but I believe we were uniquely protected.

First, unbeknownst to me the king pin was not properly secured in the hitch even though the hitch latched and the safety pin was in. It turns out the pin was too high during hook up. We travelled 150 miles to our destination and I discovered this when we unhitched for set up. The thought of what could have happened caused me to pale a bit. Just ONE hard bump and......

Second, somewhere about 35 miles short of our destination, the right rear axle tire blew out. I never heard it or felt it. We discovered it when Dianna got out to direct me into position upon arrival. No one honked or signaled that I had a problem. Speeds had been between 55 and 65 MPH.

Third, on the way back to the stick house, on the freeway at 65 mph, the left, front axle tire blew out with such force that it damaged the Montana's skin where it turned under the side. To the Montana's credit, it was not even slightly hard to handle in moving to a stop.

Needless to say my annual dues to the Coach-net Road Service was redeemed in a four-day span. Their response was stellar.

Between blowouts, I replaced both tires on the rear axle with G-rated, 14 ply tires rather than the E-rated, 10 ply tires. The E-rated tires are inflated to 80 psi while the G-rated are inflated to 100 psi.

It took me three hours of disassembly, straightening, and reassembly of the hitch head to repair the damage my error caused and to allow me to safely hook up again.

Back in Houston, I am having difficulty finding the g-rated tires for the front axle. So I will take the rims back to Marquez, Texas, have two more mounted and hot-foot it back to Houston to mount them on the front axle.

Just a note to all of you about the blown tires. I am not trying to be disparaging, just simply reporting the facts. These were E-rated 235/85 R16s @ 80psi for load of 2778 lbs. They were manufactured by General Tire in 2002 and mounted by Keystone on this 2003 Big Sky. The tire pressures used were correct and checked regularly. There was less that 10,000 miles on them. There was no crazing on the sidewalls. These tires looked nearly new. There was no evidence of failure due to road hazard. FYI, the loading on the G-rated tires is 3500 lbs.

Dianna and I feel very grateful for the protection we enjoyed during this season of trial.

faeb and genb · 06-07-2005, 05:26 PM

So glad everything worked out fine. Hope all goes well with the tires.
Gene

Charlie · 06-07-2005, 06:15 PM

This is awesome....glad that damage was limited and no one was injured. You do have something to be thankful for.

I had to go from D's to E's on my last trailer because of the same reason. When I start replacing tires on this one I will make the upgrade to G's

sreigle · 06-07-2005, 06:22 PM

I'm sure glad to hear you folks survived all this without serious problems, especially the bodily variety.

Stiles, don't forget to get the G-rated tire for your spare, also. I learned at the School of Hard Knocks that mixing load ranges on the same axle will throw that axle out of alignment because of the different rolling resistance. Keystone told me this last year at the service center and I paid for an axle realignment.

I know what you mean about not knowing the tire is blown. We've had the same situation. Fortunately no major damage. Ours were Goodyear tires. I know folks who have blown multiple Michelins, too. I think you said you had the tires properly inflated so that's not the problem. Usually the problem is heat and underinflation adds to that. I suppose if a tire picked up a nail and had a leak while on the road it could go flat on the road. You'd not notice it if you can't see it and pretty soon the tire is shredded by the rim. However, your violent blowout on the other tire is wholly different.

Thanks for the reminder. And I'm glad you folks are ok.

DHenry · 06-07-2005, 06:47 PM

We also are glad to hear that you two are allright after such an ordeal. Please check out the web site www.bedsaver.com. This product will not only save the bed but would catch your 5th wheel if it came out of the hitch.

kbr278 · 06-08-2005, 12:41 AM

Has anyone had expierence with the bedsaver product? My father inlaw has had 2 incidents dropping his. One caused bed damage.

thanks
Kevin

Bill and Ann · 06-08-2005, 12:42 AM

Boy: What a post. Glad everything worked out right for you. You must be getting up on the right side of the bed.

Gypsy · 06-08-2005, 02:30 AM

Stiles & Diana - So glad you're both okay. Thanks for relating your experiences to the rest of us so we can learn from them and hopefully avoid similar situations. I also had a blowout on that right rear tire, so I know how hard it is to see it going down the road, and didn't feel a thing. A motorhome behind me had been approaching to pass, then dropped back and put on his flashers to get my attention. Then he stopped to help me change the tire. This happened last July somewhere near Sundance, Wyoming. I had checked the tire pressure that morning and even felt for excessive heat when stopping for a break. I now have a device from Radio Shack (thanks, HamRad!) to read the temperature of all my tires every time I stop, and I keep an eagle eye on rear view mirrors to watch for tire problems. I haven't had the failure-to-hitch problem, but I know some other very experienced RVers who have. I'll be especially careful there, too. We all live and learn! Glad you lived to tell the tale!

CountryGuy · 06-08-2005, 02:40 AM

Stiles

Congrats on a trip finished with no owies to you and Dianna, Wow, that was some weekend you had! Good reminders for all of us!

Montana_2785 · 06-08-2005, 02:46 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by stiles watson

[...]

First, unbeknownst to me the king pin was not properly secured in the hitch even though the hitch latched and the safety pin was in. It turns out the pin was too high during hook up. We travelled 150 miles to our destination and I discovered this when we unhitched for set up. The thought of what could have happened caused me to pale a bit. Just ONE hard bump and......

[...]

Stiles,

What hitch do you have? I have a Pulrite (non-slider) and don't think that it will latch if I "high pin" it since the latch matches the radius of the narrow part of the pin.

Eric

Jeff Heiser · 06-08-2005, 03:21 AM

HOLY SMOKES! Sure glad you all are alright. Glad everything worked out okay for you all.

Jeff Heiser
Merritt Island Florida

jrgwdenner · 06-08-2005, 03:54 AM

There's no luck in that situation, Stiles. It sounds like providential care. And the purpose? Maybe to share with us others so that we are more careful or whatever it takes to avoid an awful accident. Glad you are both safe.

Bill Hill · 06-08-2005, 04:12 AM

Stiles,
glad to hear that you had no more of a mishap than a good scare. We've been the recipients of Providential Care more than we'll ever deserve. Regarding the tire blow-out, look in to the Doran Tire Pressure Monitor. It will tell you when the tire is getting low so you can avoid a blowout, or if it just plain blows you'll know immediately. Amazingly, since we got ours well over a year ago, we've had no more tire issues. Maybe it's just a good insurance policy!

Montana_2953 · 06-08-2005, 04:13 AM

If that wasn't God's intervention I don't know what was? Soooooo glad no one was injured. What a story.
We have been throwing around the idea of getting the Doran Tire Monitoring System. Now I think it would be well worth our money. I get in such a hurry when it is time to leave that I forget all kinds of things that I should be checking. Kathi has to remind me while she is securing things inside. She will be inside doing what needs to be done and I will keep saying "Are you ready?", she will ask me did you do this or that? I will say no, she says "Needs to be done before we can go". Makes one think of "God works in mysterious ways" doesn't it?

sreigle · 06-08-2005, 06:10 AM

Paul, would you tell us more about the Doran Tire Pressure Monitoring System? Do the sensors mount inside the tire on the rim or on the valve stem? Do they require batteries? Does the signal reach the monitor inside the cab of the truck without problem? Etc. Any problems you've found with this setup? And roughly what does a set cost for the trailer and do you also have them on the truck tires?

Thanks.

Montana_2953 · 06-08-2005, 06:31 AM

This should answer all your questions. It is my understanding that you monitor the truck tires as well as the 5th wheel tires. You buy the unit that has the same amount of sensors as you have tires. The sensors hook right to the tire stems. The monitor mounts right on your dash of the truck. We have a total of 10 tires so our unit would cost $690. Now to me that is a great investment because of the cost of tires and the damage that might incure if something were to happen at a high rate of speed. We are also looking into the Bed Saver that is another must.....Check out the website, it is really interesting.

http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index....TS&Category=18

sreigle · 06-08-2005, 07:09 AM

Thanks, Paul. I used to have a different brand and had lots of problems with them. So much I finally took them off. The batteries only lasted a couple of months and it had trouble reading the rear axle wheels. It just didn't transmit far enough. The Doran system sounds much better than what I had. For a non-dually the price is $590. I paid about $500 for ours over three years ago so this looks like a much better deal.

William H. Collier · 06-08-2005, 03:34 PM

Stiles, could you explain the high hitching, I have never heard of this happening and do not see how it could happen.
Bill

stiles watson · 06-08-2005, 04:57 PM

Ok, the Monty was parked in my drive which was up a slant from the street. I was attempting to hitch coming up the slant. The hitch plate on the Monty and the one on the truck were at an angle to each other. When I connected, the latch captured the back lip of the king pin, the part that should fit under the latch. Why I didn't see that is a mystery to me. The two plates were at an angle to each other rather than laying flat on each other with the teflon disk in between. Had the king pin been lowered to the right height, the engagement of the king pin would have tilted the hitch head to the proper angle.

In any case, the latch kept the king pin from disengaging, but a hard jolt might have set it loose with catastrophic results. As the king pin rooted around in the hitch head for a 160 miles, it damaged the "U" flange that normally receives the neck or narrow part of the king pin. That is where I spent the time straightening and aligning in order for the hitch to work at all. I know this may be hard to envision, but believe me, it is harder to look upon after the fact. I hope I have adequately painted a word picture. If not, say so, please.

Someone asked which hitch I have. It is a standard Husky and there is nothing inherently wrong with the hitch. It was all pilot error.

Just148 · 06-08-2005, 05:37 PM

Glad everything turned out OK. Check you tires every 150-200 miles, tires will heat up and cautch fire as well as blow outs.

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